Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD)

Franklin County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 100 counties in 2020, at $94,100. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at $42,900. The median was $60,400. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Highest94,100Franklin County
Lowest42,900Tyrrell County
Median60,400100 counties

Top 40 counties, 2020

Franklin County: 94,100 USDFranklin County94,100Johnston County: 94,100 USDJohnston County94,100Wake County: 94,100 USDWake County94,100Chatham County: 90,900 USDChatham County90,900Durham County: 90,900 USDDurham County90,900Orange County: 90,900 USDOrange County90,900Moore County: 88,200 USDMoore County88,200Cabarrus County: 83,500 USDCabarrus County83,500Gaston County: 83,500 USDGaston County83,500Mecklenburg County: 83,500 USDMecklenburg County83,500Union County: 83,500 USDUnion County83,500Currituck County: 82,500 USDCurrituck County82,500New Hanover County: 81,000 USDNew Hanover County81,000Camden County: 78,200 USDCamden County78,200Iredell County: 73,100 USDIredell County73,100Buncombe County: 72,500 USDBuncombe County72,500Henderson County: 72,500 USDHenderson County72,500Madison County: 72,500 USDMadison County72,500Brunswick County: 71,600 USDBrunswick County71,600Dare County: 69,400 USDDare County69,400Watauga County: 69,400 USDWatauga County69,400Carteret County: 68,900 USDCarteret County68,900Davie County: 68,600 USDDavie County68,600Forsyth County: 68,600 USDForsyth County68,600Stokes County: 68,600 USDStokes County68,600Yadkin County: 68,600 USDYadkin County68,600Gates County: 68,000 USDGates County68,000Pender County: 67,900 USDPender County67,900Pitt County: 66,700 USDPitt County66,700Guilford County: 66,600 USDGuilford County66,600Randolph County: 66,600 USDRandolph County66,600Craven County: 66,200 USDCraven County66,200Pasquotank County: 66,200 USDPasquotank County66,200Lincoln County: 65,500 USDLincoln County65,500Granville County: 65,300 USDGranville County65,300Harnett County: 64,800 USDHarnett County64,800Rowan County: 64,400 USDRowan County64,400Alamance County: 64,200 USDAlamance County64,200Lee County: 62,100 USDLee County62,100Person County: 61,800 USDPerson County61,800
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
USD
Change on 2019
1Franklin County94,100+1.1%
1Johnston County94,100+1.1%
1Wake County94,100+1.1%
4Chatham County90,900+7.2%
4Durham County90,900+7.2%
4Orange County90,900+7.2%
7Moore County88,200+12.1%
8Cabarrus County83,500+5.7%
8Gaston County83,500+5.7%
8Mecklenburg County83,500+5.7%
8Union County83,500+5.7%
12Currituck County82,500+4%
13New Hanover County81,000+11.3%
14Camden County78,200+3.9%
15Iredell County73,100+3.4%
16Buncombe County72,500+9.2%
16Henderson County72,500+9.2%
16Madison County72,500+9.2%
19Brunswick County71,600+8%
20Dare County69,400+2.5%
20Watauga County69,400+6.3%
22Carteret County68,900+2.5%
23Davie County68,600+10.8%
23Forsyth County68,600+10.8%
23Stokes County68,600+10.8%
23Yadkin County68,600+10.8%
27Gates County68,000+5.3%
28Pender County67,900+9.7%
29Pitt County66,700-0.9%
30Guilford County66,600+8.6%
30Randolph County66,600+8.6%
32Craven County66,200+2.5%
32Pasquotank County66,200+12.8%
34Lincoln County65,500+2.3%
35Granville County65,300+3.2%
36Harnett County64,800-0.3%
37Rowan County64,400+7.9%
38Alamance County64,200+4.2%
39Lee County62,100+2%
40Person County61,800+10.4%
41Rockingham County61,700+15.5%
42Alexander County61,000+10.7%
42Burke County61,000+10.7%
42Caldwell County61,000+10.7%
42Catawba County61,000+10.7%
42Wilson County61,000+7.6%
47Jackson County60,700+8.2%
47Stanly County60,700+3.4%
49Polk County60,600+2.5%
50Haywood County60,400+3.1%
50Pamlico County60,400+1.9%
52Surry County59,800+15%
53Davidson County59,300-1.7%
54Beaufort County58,300+5.6%
55Hyde County58,100+16.7%
56Cumberland County58,000+5.6%
57Edgecombe County57,700+5.5%
57Nash County57,700+5.5%
57Onslow County57,700+0.2%
60Transylvania County56,700+1.1%
61Mitchell County56,400+3.5%
62Rutherford County55,800+3.5%
63Hoke County54,800+2.2%
64Macon County54,300+5.4%
65Greene County54,100-0.2%
65Wayne County54,100-7.5%
67Caswell County54,000+5.5%
68Montgomery County53,900+5.5%
69Wilkes County53,700-3.9%
70Yancey County53,400+4.9%
71Perquimans County53,300-2.6%
72Ashe County52,900+4.8%
73Chowan County52,300+3.4%
73Cleveland County52,300+5.7%
75Lenoir County51,300+2.4%
76Cherokee County51,100+6.7%
76Warren County51,100+3.4%
78Washington County50,800+11.2%
79Clay County50,100+2.7%
79Jones County50,100+3.5%
81Columbus County49,600-0.8%
82Graham County49,400-1.6%
83Sampson County49,300+1.4%
84Anson County49,100+8.6%
84McDowell County49,100+1.7%
86Avery County48,600-1.6%
86Bladen County48,600+11.2%
88Vance County48,100+6.4%
89Alleghany County47,900-0.4%
90Swain County47,700+1.1%
91Martin County46,500-2.9%
92Duplin County46,400+2.4%
93Robeson County46,200+5.5%
94Hertford County46,100-2.3%
95Halifax County45,200+2%
96Bertie County45,000+1.6%
97Scotland County44,000+10.6%
98Northampton County43,700+6.1%
99Richmond County43,300+2.4%
100Tyrrell County42,900+9.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Median annual family income, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates for the HUD area that contains the county, for the fiscal year. HUD bases it on American Community Survey family incomes, brought forward to the fiscal year, and uses it to set income limits for its programs: the very low income limit is 50 percent and the low income limit 80 percent of the area median for a family of four, with adjustments. Often called AMI.

A program parameter, not a survey estimate for the county itself: it differs from the Census Bureau median household income and from the American Community Survey median family income of the county. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2020). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2020. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 16 Mar. 2020, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2020. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2020) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2020}},
  year = {2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI  - HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2020
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/03/16
PB  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest area median family income (HUD)?

Franklin County, with $94,100 in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Which county has the lowest area median family income (HUD)?

Tyrrell County, with $42,900 in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Area median family income (HUD): other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings